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Latos faces Nationals Saturday at Petco

The Padres have never lost consecutive games to the Washington Nationals at Petco Park.

In fact, historians have to go back to Sept. 11-12, 1999, to find the last time that the Padres lost two straight games in San Diego to the Montreal/Washington franchise.

Which is one reason why Saturday evening’s showdown between the Padres and Nationals at Petco Park (5:35 p.m., TV: 4 San Diego) is significant.

Because Nationals closer Matt Capps worked his way out of bases-loaded, none-out, ninth-inning jam Friday night, Washington won the opener of the three-game weekend series 5-3.

A Nationals win in the second game would give the visitors two straight wins and end one of the Padres longest-running streaks of success.

Overall, the Padres have won 31 of their last 41 games against Montreal/Washington dating back to Sept. 22, 2005, and are 23-8 against the Nationals since the franchise relocated in Washington, D.C., for the 2005 season. The Padres have won nine of 10 series against Washington.

The assignment of stopping the Nationals Saturday night will fall to 23-year-old right-hander Mat Latos, who is riding a three-decision winning streak and has a 0.93 ERA over his past four starts.

Latos has allowed only 13 hits and three walks over the last 29 innings he has worked. Included in the run is the complete-game, one-hit shutout he threw at San Francisco on May 13.

Opposing Latos will be J.D. Martin, who the Expos called up from Triple-A Syracuse to make this start. Martin was 2-1 with a 2.97 ERA in the International League.

The Nationals will be starting five left-handed hitters against Latos. The Padres are 20-14 against right-handed starters this season.